Gitana
by Oyuki
Summary: AU 6x9: There's a rebellion brewing in Prince Milliardo's kingdom, but just when he needs to keep his mind clear for the upcoming battles, he finds his betrayer, Lucrezia Noin. There are gypsies, lies, deceit, betrayals and a little action. NEW Ch. 6!
1. Life

AN: I read about half and hour worth of the Romany culture, commonly referred to as Gypsy.   
(I read somewhere that this is kind of a derogatory name, but sorry! This is what I will   
call them, though the correct name is Romany). I'm going to use some phrases and words   
from different dialects, but bear with me please. I will try to use them correctly, but   
if I don't please don't flame me. There were different spellings and some of the words   
are different. And, FINALLY, I have writer's block. I can't continue my other stories so   
I cooked up a new one to help me.  
  
  
father= dadro  
mother= baj  
brother= prala  
sister= pena  
raklo= non gypsy boy  
gajo= non gypsy adult male  
tzerha= tent, house hole  
vurdon= wagon  
  
And bokoli us just a thick pancake with meat inside.  
  
  
  
Gitana  
by Oyuki  
  
  
The street was crowded with people. Many of them just passing by, and some of them   
actually there to see the shows put on by the traveling gypsies. Prince Milliardo   
Peacecraft rode his black stallion to the side of the throng of people. He was careful   
to avoid any accidents that might occur. The gypsies were a band that came annually at   
the same time of the year. They had do so for many years and this year was no different.   
Perhaps he would stop and see one of their performances when he had the time before they   
gathered their tents and their people and rode off. He smiled a little at that. He had   
always enjoyed their tricks and foods, since he was a child. A scowled marred his handsome   
face. He remembered how she used to enjoy the gypsy people. She had smiled brightly at him.   
A fake smile that would soon bring him pain. She hadn't been punished for what she did,   
but she should have been. They had thought of that afterwards, but they had not been able   
to find her again. It was as if she had vanished.  
  
Milliardo shook his head to clear it of those thoughts. He glanced behind him to see his   
escorts. His best friend and brother-in-law, Baron Heero Yuy rode beside him.   
"Why do you look so glum?" he asked, bringing his horse to a light pace directly   
beside the prince. "Are you perhaps remembering those days?"  
  
"You can read me too well," he said quietly, looking at his best friend.  
  
"They are not worth your thoughts. She's not worth your thoughts, Milliardo.   
What she did--"  
  
"Don't, I made it clear I never wanted to speak of this-- of her-- again!" he hissed.   
  
"I apologize," said Heero not looking at Milliardo anymore. So much time had passed   
and he still could not kill the love he'd felt for that... woman. A woman who had betrayed   
him with his own cousin.   
  
"I am sorry for snapping at you like that, Heero. It is just that this is not a pleasant   
subject. It will never be."  
  
"I do not mean to intrude, or to tell you what to do, but you know you have to find a woman   
to make your wife. Look for one, I am sure that there are plenty of young women out there   
who will be happy to become your wife. And besides, you need an heir. Forget her, she did   
not deserve your love."  
  
"I know," said Milliardo. "But I love her, I can't forget her. My heart is stubborn and it   
still holds her memory, but I thank you, Heero. You are the brother that I never had, and   
now even more so since you have married my sister."   
  
"And you know I consider you my brother also. Please forgive me, I did not mean to bring   
back old memories." He waved his hand to clear the air between them. "It looks like the   
gypsies have brought all their family this year. They have many more tents and carriages."  
  
Milliardo smiled. "Yes, look we have come to the end of the carnival tents," he said   
pointing to where two girls where standing. The two girls were selling 'bokoli', a kind   
of pancake with chunks of meat in it.  
  
"Are you hungry, Heero?" asked Milliardo pointing to the table and the two girls.   
  
Heero smiled. "I wouldn't mind bokoli if you're willing to pay for it."  
  
"I will. Let's get closer."  
  
The two girls were talking in their Romany dialect, they did not notice the young men   
that approached. "Nadja, when are you going to accept Renzo?" her companion giggled.  
  
"Nata! Don't say things like that! You know Baj and Dadro--"  
  
"Oh Nadja, you know they would love for you to marry him! Stop making excuses."  
  
"You know it is not just that, Nata, also..." she trailed off. Her blue eyes downcast.   
  
"Oh we have customers. And they are handsome, Nadja!" she said to her younger sister.   
She smiled at the young men. Nata looked at her sister whose profile was to the young men,   
her black bangs obscuring her features.   
  
"Welcome!" said Nata loudly and with a heavy accent. "You want to buy bokoli from Nata   
and her pena?" she asked.   
  
"Yes, we'll have two," said Heero. He looked over at his friend who was looking at   
the girl's sister. All they could see was that she was tall, and, from what escaped her   
bandana, she had violet-black hair. Her bangs hiding her face from them. "What are you   
looking at? Milliardo?" asked Heero.   
  
"Look at her! She looks like..."   
  
"Is there something wrong with my sister, my lord?" asked Nata, looking at the young man.   
  
"Your sister? What is her name?" asked Milliardo in a hushed voice.   
  
"You can ask her, she can speak your language," she said nudging Nadja forward.   
  
Nadja felt strange talking to these men. Her baj would tell her not to talk to them,   
they were gajo, they were not to be trusted. She lifter her eyes and turned her head   
towards the young men.  
  
The blue flash of her eyes startled both men. Milliardo's eyes got wide, his breath caught   
in his throat. He was staring at the face of Lady Lucrezia Noin. The woman he had been   
searching for the last ten years. The woman who had betrayed him.  
  
"My name is Nadja, my lord," she said in his direction, not looking at his eyes.   
  
"You! What are you doing here?" yelled Heero. The outburst making both young women jump.   
What was going on?   
  
Nadja's eyes moved wildly. "What do you mean? I'm traveling with my family!" she said.   
A pounding started at her temple. 'No, not this again!' she thought.  
  
"Lucrezia, why did you come back?" said Milliardo hoarsely.  
  
"My name is Nadja, not this Lucrezia. I have never met you before," she said   
defensively.  
  
"You're lying! I could recognize you anywhere. Look me in the eye and tell me that   
you do not know who I am! Look at me!" he commanded.  
  
"My lord, why are you doing this? Leave, please or I will call our father!" yelled Nata.  
  
"You are both lying! Do not try to protect her!" said Heero and moved towards her.   
Nadja had not time to react. Her daner's reflexes not quite fast enough for the young man.  
  
He grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. "Stop it!" yelled Nata. "Dadro! Dadro!   
Nicolae!"  
  
Milliardo stood there, clenching and unclenching his fists. Before him was Lucrezia,   
the one person he hated, and loved, the most in the world. He saw the genuine expression   
of fear on her face. She was scared of Heero, he was shaking her. It didn't register.  
  
******  
  
Milosh heard the distant yells of one of his daughters. He had been giving a show   
with their animals. He motioned to one of the men around him and ran to his son, Nicolae.   
"Do you hear that?" he asked of his oldest child.   
  
"Father, it is my sisters!"   
  
"I know, let's go." Both men ran to the where the last of the tzerha were.   
  
*****  
  
Nadja's headache had gotten worse. Now the pounding was not only in her temple but in   
the back of her head and between her eyes. She fought against the stranger that had a   
hold of her shoulders. She was scared and that didn't help her pain at all.  
  
Nata had a hold of the man's shoulder, trying to push him off her sister. A larger figure   
loomed behind her and grabbed the slightly shorter man from the shoulders and   
pushed him off.   
  
He kneeled in front of Nadja, hesitating on whether to comfort her or beat the crap   
out of the man who had dared to touch her. He decided against touching her, men were not   
allowed to touch women of they were not part of their family or if they did not intend to   
marry, and Nadja had not yet given her consent to marry him. Renzo turned to the stranger   
in a fury. "How dare you touch her?" he shouted.   
  
For the first time Heero doubted his actions. He had heard somewhere that the women   
were not allowed to touch, or be touched by any man unless they were family or ready to   
marry. "She-- she's not who you think she is!" he said.  
  
"I apologize for my friend," said Milliardo, speaking for the first time. He looked at   
the man. He was tall, strongly built with long, black hair and sky blue eyes. His gaze   
was intense as he looked from one to the other. His large fists were clenching and   
unclenching. He looked over at the woman, the woman Milliardo was sure was Lucrezia.   
She was sitting on the floor, her sister kneeling next to her. She was holding her head,   
her face was a mask of pain. He didn't know what the hell was going on, but he was damn   
sure that girl was Lucrezia and she had changed her name to Nadja. He heard footsteps   
approaching and turned to them. Two more men approached and a crowd had begun to form.   
"Nata, Nadja, what happened?" asked the old man who approached. He was followed by   
another young man with jet black hair and grey eyes.   
  
"Renzo, go back to your duties!" Milosh said sharply before turning to his daughter again.   
  
The tall young gypsy obeyed his king and reluctantly left the place.  
  
"Dadra, we were selling the bokoli and that man attacked Nadja," explained Nata in   
Romany dialect. Milosh kneeled in front of Nadja. "Are you okay, Nadja?" he asked.   
  
"No, my head hurst so much, dadra!" she moaned.  
  
"You will be alright. Nicolae! Help me get your sister to our vurdon!" he called to   
his son.   
  
Nicolae was staring at the man with the long platinum hair and icy eyes. They stared   
at each other.   
  
"She is the daughter of Milosh?" asked Heero to no one in particular.   
Milosh was the gypsy king.   
  
"Nicolae!" said Milosh sharply. "Nata, go get your mother!" he said turning to his   
oldest daughter.   
  
"Yes father!" said the girl running to the vurdon.   
  
"Why did you attack my daughter?" asked Milosh, his voice, like Nata's and Renzo's, was   
thickly accented.  
  
"She is your daughter? She is Lucrezia, Milosh," said Milliardo.   
  
Milosh, for the first time, looked at the young men. "Prince Milliardo, what are you   
saying? This is only my youngest child, Nadja. What are you talking about?"  
  
"Don't lie, Milosh. Just because you covered her hair and dressed her like a gypsy does   
not mean that she is one of you! That is my wife, Lucrezia!"  
  
"Is your wife gitana, like my daughter?" asked Milosh. "I tell you that this is   
my blood daughter."   
  
*****  
  
Nadja was swimming in pain. She had constant headaches, but this one was like no other.   
She was going to pass out, she could feel it. Her hearing was very fuzzy, like she was   
under water and she could hear her heart beat clearly in her ears. Her vision swam,   
she couldn't make out the figures around her, though she was sure one of them was her   
father. Her breathing was labored. She closed her eyes to better withstand the pain.   
She couldn't take it anymore. She gave in to the pull of unconsciousness, the   
endless darkness.  
  
"Nadja!" exclaimed her mother, Pesha. "Milosh, what has happened?" she asked looking   
at her husband.   
  
Miosh looked up at the young men then at his wife and said, "Nothing, Pesha. Nadja   
had another one of her headaches. Nicolae, help me get your sister into the vurdon!"   
he ordered again.  
  
Nicolae moved to where his sister was on the floor. He bend down and picked the young   
woman up easily in strong arms. He followed his mother and Nata into the vurdon.   
His father stayed behind with the young lords.  
  
"I don't want you to ever say that about my daughter again," he said to Milliardo,   
his grey eyes flashing. "Do not speak to her, do not even look at her if it is at  
\ all possible."  
  
"We are right in assuming that she is Lady Lucrezia?" asked Heero, looking directly   
at the old man.   
  
"She is Nadja, youngest daughter of Milosh and Pesha, sister to Nicolae and Nata.   
That is who she is and no one else. Leave us be!" he said harshly.   
  
"Not when I've just found her! I want to know why she betrayed me!" said Milliardo.   
"I will not rest until I have found out the truth."  
  
"What truth? She is nothing but a gypsy child! She was born a gypsy, and she will   
marry a gypsy, and she will die a gypsy, do you hear, raklo?" Milosh said   
breathlessly. 'May I be forgiven for lying,' he thought. 'I do this only to   
spare her any more pain.'  
  
"She is my wife! I have every legal right to take her from here!"  
  
"Prove to me that she is your wife, gajo! Prove to me she is who you say she is!   
Was your wife a gypsy dancer? Did she have memories of growing up in a gypsy camp?   
Nadja is my daughter and nothing more, leave her be!"  
  
"Then tell me the truth! Is she Lady Lucrezia Noin?" yelled Milliardo.   
  
Milosh sighed. He had never wanted this day to come, yet he knew that someday it would.   
And while Nadja did not remember anything, the rest of the tribe knew the truth.   
"I will tell you her story, but not here. Follow me into my tzerha." The old man   
walked swiftly to the tent. The young men followed quickly. Once insice he sat   
in a cushion in the middle of the tzerha and motioned for them to sit down also.   
  
"We found Nadja ten years ago. It was raining, she was sitting against a tree trunk,   
chilled and wet. Nicolae and I had been searching for some herbs Pesha needed for   
something or other and the storm had come unexpectedly. Nicolae spotted the poor child,   
she was shaking so hard she could hardly breath. There was a large wound in the back   
of her head, I am sure she was hit from behind." Milosh stopped waiting for the the   
information to sink in before he continued.  
  
"But you knew who she was, Milosh! She had come to--" started Milliardo, only to be   
interrupted by Milosh. 'And a wound in the back of her head? That's not true,   
nobody had gone after her!' Milliardo thought to himself, frowning.  
  
"Yes, I knew who she was, but what happened later helped me come to the decision I came to.   
She almost died, Milliardo, somebody attacked her and left her out in the storm to die.   
She had lost a lot of blood, and she developed a high fever with coughing. She didn't   
wake up, and after two days she started coughing blood. I wanted to tell you, I did, but   
I didn't know what was going on and I still thought that you loved her, I didn't want to be   
the bearer of bad news if she died." Milosh paused for a moment, closing his eyes at   
the memory of the young girl who had become his daughter. "She had no memory of anything   
when she awoke," he finally said.   
  
Milliardo sucked in his breath. It was true, then. She didn't know who he was.   
"How did she become your daughter?" he asked quietly. He looked at Heero who was   
looking at everything indifferently.   
  
"Believe me, Milliardo, we were going to tell you, but she was so scared.   
She didn't know of what, or how she knew that she had to be scared, but she was.   
And not knowing who you are can add to the terror. We waited two whole months, by   
that time we had moved on, but Nicolae and I were going to come back with Nadja."   
Milosh shook his head a little before he continued, "Then we decided that maybe it   
would be better if you didn't find out and she stayed with us. Something had obviously   
happened and she had been hurt. When she was well... when she was completely well,   
we told her she had fallen and... and basically we made up stories about her   
life with us... before her accident. She believes that she is our blood daughter,  
and she is. She has gone through the ritual."  
  
Milliardo shook his head, not wanting to believe any of it.   
"I don't-- I can't believe this!" He was quiet for a few moments, he didn't   
know what to say. "And the headaches? What causes them?" he asked for lack   
of anything else to ask.   
  
"Those she's had since the accident. They come and go, but she usually doesn't pass out.   
She stays in bed for a couple of days, you must have caused her anxiety. And that  
is why, I don't want you to ever come near my daughter again."  
  
Milliardo sighed deeply. "I... I don't know what to say. This is all too far fetched.   
I can't believe this. Give me proof, Milosh, that your 'daughter' is no longer   
Lady Lucrezia Noin Peacecraft, Princess of Sanq, that she is Nadja."  
  
Milosh scoffed. "What can I say, what can I do, that will prove this? Anything we   
say will look like we are lying to you. What can this old gypsy man do to convince   
you that Nadja is what I say she is?"  
  
"Let us speak to her," said Heero, speaking up for the first time.   
  
"Out of the question! Neither of you will be speaking to my daughter! Do what   
you want, Milliardo, Heero, I don't care, but you will not be coming near   
my daughter again!" said Milosh getting up from his place and stalking out   
of the tzerha.  
  
  
  
  
tbc...  
  
  
  
  
AN: Okay, so that's all you guys will get of this one for a while! Please R&R,   
then maybe I'll feel up to writing. Maybe that'll make me feel better... 


	2. Remembrance

AN: I dread coming back to this fic... not because I don't want to write it or because the original concept has been forgotten, lost, or changed but because I lost this next chapter! I don't know what I did with the whole damn story in it's original form, it's not in any of my disks or my hardrive! And I certainly can't find the actual written documents! I already had this chapter completed and was ready to post when I got back from my road trip... and it suddenly dissappeared! Damn it all... I remember what was going on and what was going to happen, but I DON'T want to write it again! It will not be the same as it was!!! But here goes, shorter than it was originally! There! Now I've vented my frustrations... =(  
  
I do not own GW or any of it's characters! If I did, I'd be stinkin' rich!!!  
  
I'd just like to point out that in the 1st chap. it says 'her daner's reflexes' I meant to say dancer's. Noin is a gypsy dancer.  
  
  
  
Gypsy   
  
  
  
Chapter Two  
  
  
  
Milliardo looked at the celebrating gypsies through his cover of trees and vegetation. Beside him, Heero kept watch on the vurdon where they both knew Lucrezia was sleeping. He didn't know what Milosh and his people were celebrating, but he hoped it took them a long time. He was determined to talk to Lucrezia, or Nadja, whatever her name was at the moment.   
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Heero asked his brother-in-law. "We can just leave, pretend we never saw her. You have no need to bring her back to the castle!"  
  
"I just want to talk to her, Heero. I do not want to kidnap her!" Milliardo snapped. He turned back to the celebration.  
  
Heero saw her sister, Nata, climb out of the vurdon and signaled Milliardo that the coast was clear. He didn't know how Milliardo had convinced him to help him. He had seen how much her leaving had hurt him. He'd been fifteen when their fathers had engaged him to the pretty Lady Lucrezia Noin, and within two months they were married. It had been great for those few months, young Milliardo had fallen in love with his young bride. And apparently she had fallen in love with him, until his cousin, Treize came into the picture. Heero shook his head, not wanting to remember what had happened. He had been pretty young, younger than Milliardo and had not really understood what had happened. All he knew is that Lucrezia had run away one night, the same night that Treize was to return home. The whole castle had known that the duke, Treize, had become smitten with the young princess. No one was surprised when she'd turned up missing that night.   
  
Milliardo had already walked up to the door of the vurdon. Heero ran silently towards him to keep watch that nobody found out he was there. "You had better know what you are doing, Milliardo," he warned. "And you had better hurry. We've wasted too much time here... and with the rebellion..." Heero trailed off.  
  
Before stepping through the door, Milliardo put his hand on Heero's shoulder and said, "Thank you."  
  
Heero managed a small smile despite his cool nature. "Hurry up, I want to be done with this," he said warningly.   
  
Milliardo walked into the darkened vurdon. Light from the bonfire outside came in through the window. He could see that there were many things in the small wagon where Nadja and her sister slept. There were brightly colored skirts and shirts hanging from nails on the walls and colorful scarves along with them. Boxes with jewelry sat on a small table. The only other furniture besides the two beds and the one chair in the vurdon.   
  
He could clearly see the lump in one of the beds despite the darkness. Milliardo took a deep breath and headed towards the bed. Nadja was sleeping peacefully on her side, one of her hands was curled beside her hair. She looked like the teenage Lucy he remembered. Her skin was smooth, without a single blemish. Her lashes just as dark, just as thick as he remembered them. He reached down with one of his hands, gently touching her short hair, which she had taken out of the scarf she'd been wearing. Just as soft as he'd remembered. But she had grown taller, her body acquiring soft curves in all the right places. She was a full grown woman of 24 now.   
  
Nadja stirred at his soft touch, gently coming out of her slumber. She opened her eyes but she couldn't see much. All she could see was a shadow standing before her with long, silky platinum hair. His hair was illuminated by the firelight that came through the open window. Her eyes widened as she recognized him as the man who'd almost attacked her earlier that day. "Gajo," she whispered. "You're not allowed to touch me," she said in English this time.  
  
Milliardo's breath quickened a little when he realized that she had awakened. He quickly withdrew his hand and placed it his side. "Do you remember me?" he asked softly, getting straight to the point.  
  
"Yes, you're the man who attacked me earlier today," she said just as softly. Something in her told her not to be afraid of this man. That is why she had not screamed.  
  
"I didn't attack you," he said, shaking his head. Her voice had gotten just the tiniest bit deeper. It had matured, but it had the same effect that it'd had when they were young. He closed his eyes, it was the voice of his love, his betrayer, his princess, Lucrezia Noin.  
  
"You almost did," she said defensively. "What are you doing here, Gajo?"  
  
"Do you remember meeting me before today?" he asked.   
  
Nadja sat up in the bed. "No," she said, shaking her head.  
  
"Are you certain? Please try to remember, Nadja. It is imperative that you do!"  
  
Nadja shook her head again. "I've never seen before today, my lord," she stated.  
  
Milliardo was bombarded with a rush of memories. Hearing her say 'my lord' brought so many memories flooding back. More so than when she called him 'gajo'. The memories almost brought tears to his eyes. He closed them, not wanting to speak. He knew that if he spoke at that moment his voice would fail him and break. He took a steadying breath. "You have to remember, Lucrezia!" he said harshly. "You're lying to me!" he hissed.  
  
"My lord, why would I lie to you? I don't even know you!" She could see him better now. She'd thought him a very handsome man, a very beautiful man. The long hair, the icy blue eyes gave him a certain air, something she couldn't quite grasp.  
  
"Swear to me that you do not lie when you say you don't know me! Swear to me on something precious to you that you have never seen me!" he whispered harshly. He was crying. All those years he'd spent searching for her against the wishes of his mother, his sister and his now-brother-in-law, Heero. All for nothing! She didn't remember him!  
  
"Are you alright?" she asked, concerned etched in her voice.  
  
"I'm fine," he said hoarsely and walked out of the vurdon.  
  
Nadja stared after him, confused. Why had he been there?  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Outside and far from the gypsy town grounds Milliardo rode his horse slowly. He hadn't said a word since leaving Nadja.  
  
Beside his, Heero looked at his best friend. "What happened in there?" he asked for the tenth time.  
  
"It was her," Milliardo whispered.   
  
Heero's eyes widened. "Are you absolutely certain?" He had hoped it wasn't true, that the girl was just a look-alike. "What do you plan to do now? Are you going to bring her back to the castle?"  
  
Milliardo shook his head. "I don't know," he said monotonously. "I don't know."  
  
No more words were spoken on the rest of their ride home.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
tbc...  
  
  
AN: Well, there you go! The was the much awaited chapter two of 'Gitana'. I'll try to write more soon, but I have to go buy books and get ready for my first year of college! R&R and make my day!!!!! 


	3. Choices

AN: Just one thing: I read on The Patrim Web Journal, that marriages in the Romany culture happen not before the age of nine but not after the age of 14. If you want to read this then go to http://www.geocities.com/Paris/5121/marriage.htm  
  
Much thanks to those of you who reviewed. It might be a while before I put another chapter for this out!  
  
abiav = marriage or the celebration of the marriage, I'm not sure.  
  
Chapter Three  
  
When Milliardo and Heero arrived home early the next morning they were greeted by the butler.   
  
"Your Majesty, where have you been?" he asked hurriedly. "You're mother has been frantic over the fact that you've been gone since yesterday. I had to convince her not to send out a search party for you! She's been worried sick!" the servant ecxitedly, but before he continued a loud, strong feminine voice said, "Milliardo! Where in Heaven's name have you been?"  
  
Milliardo gave a heavy sigh. "I was in the gypsy village, Mother, as you well know," he replied tiredly.  
  
"But you said you'd be back before sundown yesterday!" she said. She had been so worried over her oldest child. She could not lose him. "You know you cannot go trampling about the countryside like this! There is rebellion brewing in every kingdom from Sank to Navarre!"  
  
Milliardo tried not to feel like a child being scolded, but failed. He did not like this... this power his mother wanted to over him, treating him as if he was still a young lad instead of a full grown man. "Calm down, Mother. I have not come to any harm. Now, tell us where Relena is."  
  
His mother gave a sigh and said, "She's in her bedroom. Honestly, Milliardo I don't see--"   
  
Milliardo leaned close and kissed his mother's cheek. "We want to see Relena, Mother. I'll talk to you later."  
  
Victoria Peacecraft gave an unlady-like snort. "Seems to me your sister is more important than your queen and mother," she whispered.  
  
He rolled his eyes and walked beside Heero to his and Relena's bedroom. "I swear she gets more annoying by the day," Heero muttered.  
  
They reached the bedroom but instead of going inside Milliardo walked down the hall to his own bedroom. It was not the first time he'd avoided his mother like this. She had gotten more and more controlling since his father had died. True, she had taken over all of his responsibilities, but sometimes it just got out of hand. It seemed, to him, that she wanted to have him under her thumb. She was constantly pushing things on him and most of the time he did not refuse, if only to avoid arguing with her.   
  
He buried his face in his hands. God he had so much to think about, but he had made up his mind about one thing. He would bring Noin home, no matter what the cost.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Nadja stood next to her father in the tzerha, they were discussing what shows they would perform the day of their departure, which would be in two days' time. Her mind wasn't on that, however. Her mind was on the young man that had come into her vurdon. He was so handsome, and she had seen all the pain and insecurity in his eyes. She couldn't help but wonder why he had come into her vurdon, and just exactly why he'd been so adamant that she remember seeing him before. She almost felt bad about saying that she'd never seen him before. Maybe he was confusing her with somebody else. Whatever it was, he sure seemed disappointed that she didn't remember him. She sighed. She leaned down and whispered to her father if she could go outside to find her sister. He nodded and Nadja left the tent.  
  
She found her sister by the river washing clothes on a stone. She kneeled next to her and began to wash clothes also.   
  
"What's wrong, you seem so quiet, Nadja?" her sister asked in their native Romany dialect.   
  
"Do you remember that man from yesterday?" she asked.   
  
"Which one? The one with the dark hair or the--"  
  
"The one with light hair. He came into our tent last night during Veshengo and Vadoma's abiav."  
  
Nata's eyes got wide. "And you did not yell for help?" she asked, astonished. "He could have hurt you, Nadja!"  
  
Nadja looked at her sister. "But I felt no fear of him, Nata. If I felt anything, I felt desperation, anger, even pain. He's such a tortured spirit, Pena. And he did nothing to me, as you can see."  
  
Nata gave her sister an odd look before turning back to her washing. "What, Nata? What was that look for?" Nadja asked, she was annoyed.  
  
"Nadja," she said and paused. "Nadja, don't get your hopes up with this gajo," she warned.   
  
Nadja looked at her sister, stopping her own washing. "Why did you tell me that? What do you know?"  
  
Nata sighed again. "Nadja, Renzo's father has begun attempts to speak to father about you. Renzo wants to marry you," she said, her eyes downcast. She had overheard Aladar, Renzo's father, asking their father when he could speak to him about the marriage of their children.  
  
"No," Nadja said incredulously. "Father knows I don't love Renzo. I can't--"  
  
"That hardly matters in our culture, Nadja, and you know that. If father says you have to marry Renzo then you do," her sister told her, resuming her washing once again. She didn't want to look at her sister's face.   
  
"I will never marry Renzo, Nata. One, because I don't love him, and two because I know you are in love with him." Nadja put a hand on Nata's shoulder. "I would never cause you such pain. If you would just tell father--"  
  
"What good would it do me?" she whispered. Tears forming in her eyes and threatening to fall. "Renzo wants you... not me."  
  
"I will never cause you pain like that. No matter what happens, you're my sister and I love you."  
  
  
tbc.....  
  
  
  
AN: Yes, yes I know it's short but please bear with me! I LOVE this story! I'm actually looking stuff up on the web about the Romany culture and stuff so my story won't sound too stupid. Please stay tuned for more! 


	4. Sacrifice

AN: Yay! Yay! An update from Oyuki!!! Short, but worth the wait I think! Please review!!! Expect short chapters for my other fics... sometime before I die!!!   
  
I want to make something clear before I start the chapter. In the Romany culture, if your parents want you to marry someone, you CAN NOT refuse. It doesn't matter what you want, you do as your parents wish.   
  
  
Chapter Four  
  
Nadja couldn't sleep that night. She could not help but think that if Renzo's father found her worthy of his son, and if her father agreed, then she'd be forced to marry Renzo. They would compare all her skills to all the other girls of the village and if she was the 'best' then she'd have to marry Renzo. There would be nothing she could do about it; it was in their culture, she COULD NOT refuse.  
  
She closed her eyes and sighed. She did not love Renzo and she knew her sister did. There was no way she could marry Renzo. She had to think of something. Maybe she could sabotage the 'tests' that were set out for her, or maybe she could do something do prevent Aladar from finding her suitable.   
  
She didn't know how, but she was not going to marry Renzo; if only for the sake of her sister, Nata.  
  
*~*~*~*  
  
Milliardo tossed and turned in bed. The image of Lucrezia kept flashing through his mind, popping up in the innermost recesses of his mind. Memories he'd buried years ago resurfaced and tortured his already tormented mind. His breath came in short gasps. He swore under his breath, even though there was nobody there that could hear him. He had to see her, he had to talk to her once more. He knew who she was and he was going to bring her here; bring her home.   
  
He got up and slipped on some pants and a clean shirt. He stumbled around in the dark looking for his riding boots. He pulled them on and sneaked outside using the back door and heading to the stables where his horse, Pietro, was waiting almost impatiently for him. He approached the horse and saddled him without a sound. Milliardo climbed on the horse's back and rode out of the castle's stables without a backwards glance. He was going to try to see Lucrezia.  
  
He thought much about what he would say to her if he did manage to see her but couldn't think of it. It took him two hours to get to the village, but he couldn't think of anything. 'You can try the truth,' his mind said. 'Yeah right,' he answered back. 'What am I going to say? "You're my wife, you're coming back to a castle full of people you don't know"?'  
  
He approached the village by the river, even now he could tell that they were getting ready to leave. Their last show would probably be that night. He glanced to his side and saw the river, a few feet away was a woman, washing clothes. Her short, dark hair gave her away, it was Lucrezia, or Nadja as she was known here. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath and licked his suddenly dry lips.   
  
"Nadja," he called out as he walked towards her.   
  
At the sound of her name, Nadja turned her head sharply. Her eyes widened in surprise before she could do anything else.   
  
He stopped two feet away from her. "If someone sees you here--" she started.  
  
"I came here with the hope of speaking to you, Nadja. Please don't deny me."  
  
"I am not allowed to be in your presence by myself. My father or my brother need to be here," she told him in an attempt to get him to leave. She didn't feel at ease with him. There was something unsettling about him, something that did not forebode anything good. "Leave," she pleaded. She stood up and made the mistake of looking into his icy eyes.  
  
"I wasn't lying the other night. You're my wife, Lucrezia!" said Milliardo, grabbing her arm harshly and pulling her closer to his body. She pulled away.   
  
"Don't you dare touch me! How do I know you're not lying? You must know I can't believe you!" she said, hugging herself with her arms.   
  
"Come with me!" he said suddenly, surprising himself as much as her.   
  
"I can't do that!" she said incredulously. "If I leave with you... I can't ever come back," she said rationally. "I can't."  
  
He desperately tried to think on his feet for something he could do. "Just today, you can come back tonight. Please, come with me?" he asked her.   
  
Nadja shook her head slowly, disbelieving of his words. "I can't. I have duties to attend to, my father, my mother and my brother and sister need me here. I... no. It's impossible." She had to be true to herself, she was considering it. She did not, for any reason, want to marry Renzo. 'What should I do?' she asked herself. 'I have my duties to my family, to my dadro, but Nata loves Renzo.' If she left, Nata would be the next suitable choice as a bride for Renzo. 'Am I willing to risk it all for my sister and her chances to marry for love and not for duty?'  
  
Milliardo stood there staring at her. He didn't know what she was thinking, but he knew he had to get her to his castle one way or another. He was contemplating kidnapping when she spoke again.  
  
"My father wants me to marry his friend's son. My sister is in love with this man," she said. She took a deep breath before continuing. "If I go with you, what role will I play? What will be my status in your home, my lord?"  
  
Milliardo wanted to smile with relief. She'd all but shocked the boots off his feet with her comment. Before he could stop himself he said, "You'd be my wife, my princess-- princess of my country!"  
  
Nadja shook her head. "I don't know what-- I don't want to marry Renzo!" she said suddenly. "But I don't want to leave my family. I don't want to hurt my father, but if I stay I will cause my sister pain."  
  
Milliardo looked deeply into her eyes. "I guess you have your choices. You stay here, please your father, and marry the man your sister loves. Or you come with me, never return and live with the fact that your sister married the man she loves.   
  
  
  
  
tbc...  
  
  
  
AN: I know it's extremely short, but I have like a ton of classes to attend to everyday. Here's my day: I get up at 5:30 a.m. to get out of the house early so I can beat traffic to San Francisco State University, which I really don't. When I get there, there's no parking, so I end up walking two to three blocks to school from where I parked. Next, I have drilling classes till two, I come home, have something to eat and leave in about twenty minutes of getting there because I want to beat rush hour traffic to UC Berkeley, I do the same routine as in the morning to find parking, and end up parking two friggin' blocks away. I don't get home till seven. Do you guys think I get home to write? No. This is my hobby, nobody pays me to do it. So I decide to do it in bits and pieces. Sorry it's short, but real life is tough!!!  
  
  
Oyuki 


	5. Prices

AN: _Italics_ are either thoughts or it means a none-English word or phrase was spoken.

****

Chapter Five

Nadja stared into Milliardo's eyes. It was true. Those were her only choices at the moment. "I need time to think," she whispered. 

He frowned. They had no time to waste! "There's no time, Nadja. You're leaving tonight!" he almost shouted at her. The last thing he wanted was for her to change her mind. He'd almost convinced her. 

Her expression was pained. How could she leave her family? Could Lord Milliardo be telling her the truth? Was she really his wife? Had her _dadro_ and _baj _been lying to her? Nadja looked at Milliardo and said, "You can't expect me to decide now. I need time to think!" she said, running her hands through her short, dark hair. 

"There's no time!" he repeated. He hoped to God she wouldn't changer her mind. "Ride with me now, Nadja before you..." he searched for the right words to say. "Before you make the wrong choice."

Her shoulders sagged. She knew she had no choice. Would it be worth it though? She frowned. She knew nothing of this man and she was contemplating leaving with him never to return. The pounding in her head started again. She pressed her palm to her temple. Would these damned headaches ever go away?

Milliardo noticed her hand on her temple. She had a headache. Nadja closed her eyes and fought back wave of nausea. She took a deep breath. "Are you alright?" he asked her.

She closed her eyes again but nodded. It was now or never, she realized. There was no turning back. There was no hesitating. She had to make her choice here and now. With a heavy weight settling in her heart she said, "Let's go." Tears ran down her cheeks and she once again put her hand to her aching head. 

"You'll be okay?" he asked. She nodded her head. _'What am I going to tell everybody?' _he thought. _'I wasn't expecting her to come back with me.'_

He mounted his horse and offered his hand to her. She took it and together they managed to swing her up to the horse in front of him. He placed his arms on either side of her and took Pietro's reins kicking the horse into a run. 

__

'I must be going insane,' she thought. _'To leave with a complete stranger! My father would be so ashamed of me. I will never be able to go back. They'll never accept me back!' _Nadja hung her head. She knew where her loyalties were and she wanted her sister to be happy with the man she loved more than anything. The more she thought about the situation, the worse her headache got. She willed her mind to stop all train of thought, to concentrate on anything but what was going to happen.

They rode in silence. It was uncomfortable but it was even more uncomfortable to try and say something. The tension radiating from the two riders was very thick. Both of them were thinking of what was to come. The ride long ride gave both young people plenty of time to think and to organize their thoughts. 

"What are you going to tell them?" she asked. 

"The truth," he whispered. He shook his head. "They all know who you are."

She took a deep breath before she voiced her next request. "Tell me what happened to me? Tell me why--" her voice broke. "Tell me our story, Milliardo," she requested, trying his name for the first time. "Before we get to the castle." 

Milliardo's face became pale. He was loath to revisit that part of his life. To think he'd been so young and known her for so short a time and yet her disappearance had affected him like nothing else ever had. Not even his father's death had cause him such grief. "It's a very long story, Nadja," he whispered.

"Please," she pleaded. 

"We were fifteen," he began and his face twisted, as if in pain, at the memories.

__

Flashback

Fifteen year old Milliardo looked at his new betrothed out of the corner of his eye. She was beautiful with a thick, black braid falling over her shoulder. Her eyes sparkled with the warmth and laughter of youth. He squashed his sudden urge to grin stupidly at having such a pretty future wife. He had to keep control of himself. He wished he could talk to her. She seemed pretty interesting enough. He'd heard from his father that her father had allowed her to have a tutor until three months ago, around the same time their engagement had become official.

He risked a glance towards her and almost gasped to find her smiling shyly at him. He regained his control and looked straight ahead. _'Father has chosen me a good wife,'_ he thought. _'I'm beginning to see the good points in marrying the only heir to the kingdom of Shaomadir.'_

"It is settled then, Anselm," Milliardo heard his father, King Phillip, say. "Our children shall be wed in two months."

__

End Flashback

"It was an alliance then, not a real marriage," said Nadja. She locked her blue eyes on his, silently pleading for him to go on. 

"We were wed eight weeks later," he said in monotone while looking in her eyes.

__

Flashback

The wedding night had been a total fiasco. Despite the fact that it wasn't his first time, Milliardo was a nervous wreck. When it came time to it, he was all over the place and couldn't control himself. He'd tried to make it as painless as possible for her but he'd only managed to make a fool of himself. He'd lost his virginity the year before and now he was acting like he'd never done this!

Lu, as he'd nicknamed her, gave him an apologetic smile. "Maybe we should try again tomorrow," she suggested shyly.

Milliardo closed his eyes and shook his head in shame. "I'm sorry," he said turning on his side so she wouldn't see the blush on his cheeks.

He heard her giggle on the other side of the bed and he grunted angrily. "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't laugh, but I'm just nervous. I don't know what to do."

He sighed and turned to face her. "I just made a fool of myself in here. I can't believe this is happening me. I'm acting like this is my first time all over again," he told her.

Lu reached a hand out and placed it on his shoulder. "It's is fine, Milliardo. I am not complaining about anything."

__

End Flashback

Milliardo had been quiet for a long time, deciding whether or not to tell her about their first night together. It wasn't really important for her to know that, but he couldn't help remembering that night. Days later they'd laughed about it. 

"Will you finish telling me what happened?" asked Nadja. 

Shaking his head, Milliardo said, "Why do you want to know? It won't serve any purpose of you know."

"I want to know why your eyes held so much anger towards me when you saw me for the first time. I want to know why there was such hate in your eyes. Why all that hate was directed at me." She tried to look at him but she couldn't turn her head around enough in the position she was sitting. "What did I do, Milliardo? What happened between us?"

"Nothing happened between us! It's not about what happened between me and you!" he snapped. He didn't want to remember anymore. "Five months after our marriage you ran away with my cousin!" he whispered accusingly. 

Nadja heart skipped a beat at the new piece of information. Her shoulders slumped forward and she was quiet. _'I ran away from him? With his cousin? No. It's not possible.'_ she thought. She didn't know what she could say to him. "I don't remember," she told him. Her headache was back with intensity. She put her hand on her temple and said, "I don't remember… why can't I remember this?"

Milliardo snapped from his reverie and noticed how agitated she looked. She truly didn't remember what had happened during his cousin's two week stay in their home. "It doesn't matter anymore, Nadja." 

Milliardo didn't fully know the implications of the words he'd just spoken. He didn't know how he was going to explain this to his family. He didn't even know why he'd gone to the village in the first place. He wasn't certain of anything at this point. But all that mattered was that she was back. He'd deal with the consequences later.

Tbc…

AN: Terribly short I know, but it was a perfect spot to stop. I'm going through some writer's block so I don't want to push it. I hope to get more out soon. Tell me if the flashback switches were too confusing. Read and review please!


	6. Fate

AN: I am so, so sorry for not updating this in a whole year and a half! But real life is real life. And I've had the worst writer's block with this story. Anyway, this is only a preview of the chapter to come. I'll try to make it longer than the last two updates but I just wanted to get something up so you guys would know that this story is still alive and kicking. I repeat, this is only a preview of chapter six. I'll get it up sometime in the next few days. I'm starting school on the 18th but I will squeeze some writing time in. Again, I apologize for the long, long, extremely long delay and I hope someone is still reading this.

Chapter 6

He heard her sigh for the third time in as many minutes and closed his eyes in annoyance. He didn't feel like talking right then but she wouldn't stop fidgeting. It was still a while till they reached the castle, it had taken him two hours to get to where he'd found Nadja, but he had ridden his horse as fast as he could. Walking as they were, it would probably be another hour or so before they reached the castle. He glanced ahead of him at the horizon and saw the rays of the sun peeking over the mountains. Nothing he wanted to eat would be awake at this hour but he still asked her if she wanted to eat something.

"I am hungry, but I can wait a little longer. How long until we reach your castle?" she asked innocently. She was very confused as to what had compelled her to ride off into the darkness with a total stranger, but she guessed there was no turning back now. And this stranger claimed that he had known her before. She bit her lip. Could she trust him? Should she trust him? He was nothing more than a stranger to her after all.

"We'll reach the castle in about an hour, but I still think that we should let the horse rest. I rode him all the way to your village and didn't really give him a chance to rest."

"We should let the horse rest for a few minutes then. Maybe we can find some water for him as well. What's his name, by the way?"she asked as Milliardo swung himself off the horse.

"Pietro," he answered and reached for her. She gave him a quizzical look before swinging herself down form the horse without his help. They were standing very close to each other and for a brief moment, he could almost see the child-like Lucrezia he'd married as a teenager. She looked at him with appealing blue eyes and he could almost taste the innocence radiating from her. He lowered his gaze and stepped away from her, afraid of what else he would be able to see or feel in those expressive eyes. Whatever had happened with his cousin, he knew she was no longer the same person.

She watched him walk away from her and felt something akin to sadness. There was a lot of pain and distrust in his heart. It was all directed at her and she had no idea why. When she had looked in his eyes she had seen something that made her trust him. Something that told her he was telling her the truth.

She walked a few feet and sat down underneath an old tree while Milliardo led the horse to a small pond hidden by some tress. He came back a few minutes later and sat across from her underneath a tree of his own. They sat like that without saying a word for ten minutes. She wondered briefly, out of boredom, if it was time to go yet, and had to bite her tongue to keep herself from voicing the thought aloud. She sighed loudly and got up from her sitting position. She looked back at Milliardo and found him watching her. He caught her gaze and she looked away guiltily, a nice dusting of pink on her cheeks. "I'll be right back," she said and almost ran into the forest in her haste to hide her blush from him.

Milliardo closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the trunk of the tree. What the hell was he supposed to do now? He hadn't had much time to think when he was talking Nadja into leaving with him, but now that he had a minute to himself he was starting to wonder what had gotten into him? What were people going to say? He shook his head. He knew there would be quite a stir in the palace and the country, and with war about to break loose he wasn't sure whether Lucrezia's sudden reappearance was a good thing or a bad thing.

His train of thought was broken when he heard Nadja step into the clearing.

"Ready to go?" he asked, getting up and dusting himself off.

She merely nodded her head.

Tbc...

AN: Remember that this is only a small preview of this chapter.


End file.
